


Better Late Than Never

by unwrittengold



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Hurt Ianto Jones, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27628934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unwrittengold/pseuds/unwrittengold
Summary: Originally written way back in 2008 for the livejournal communitythestopwatchholiday fic exchange under the name ivegotthemusic.Ianto misses out on Christmas day because he gets sick.Reallysick.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	Better Late Than Never

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting the other older fic I wrote years ago that's still up! This one has no connection to the Soul Song saga, though. Takes place after Reset but before Exit Wounds.
> 
> Putting up my older works and working on my current fics has made me realize something about myself due to the common theme running through almost all of them... I think it's safe to say I definitely like whump 8D Poor Ianto. I'm never completely nice to him.

Christmas was supposed to be a happy day, a day of joy and giving. Someone, though, forgot to give the memo to the aliens that they should _not_ decide to pay a visit on Christmas so that Torchwood could celebrate in peace.

Torchwood spent a good portion of the day chasing a bright green ten foot long slug-like monster through the sewers. Gwen had been given leave from Jack to celebrate with Rhys and her family. Toshiko had stayed behind at the Hub and helped from there. The day did not improve when they discovered that said slug monster had rather sharp claws. This was realized when Jack attempted to get close in order to subdue it and it raked him across the chest. In the end, things resulted in Jack being splattered with its remains when he blew it up with his Super Gun.

Owen declared that Jack's wounds were not fatal after giving him a quick once over and told him to get in the back, lest Jack get slime all over him. Climbing into the back, Jack had caught Ianto's frown. He took off his coat and deposited it on the floor of the SUV so the goo wouldn't get all over the seat, smiling slightly at the young man. He winked, telling Ianto that he'd help him clean the goo up later.

Ianto refrained from saying the seat wasn't what he was worried about. There was no need to let Jack know about the small amount of fear Ianto felt whenever he was hurt. The fear only increased when Jack died. Why worry about someone who could come back from the dead, Jack would ask him. It wasn't something he should worry about. Ianto, however, was someone who had lost so much already. Could one blame him for wondering about what would happen if Jack, the person he loved, died and never woke up again?

The holiday decided it wanted to make absolute sure that Ianto was miserable when Jack happened to die on the way back to the Hub. Owen insisted that Jack's wounds had not been that fatal. Ianto had to keep himself from snapping back that Owen was obviously wrong. He was too tired to argue and he was getting a rather annoying headache. However, he spoke up when Owen wanted to just leave Jack in the car and wait for him to come back to life.

Owen gripped about it for a while but eventually caved under Ianto's glare. Owen was lucky he no longer needed to eat or drink, otherwise he'd be getting decaf for a week just for that. Perhaps it was punishment enough that Owen could no longer even drink coffee at all.

They'd dragged Jack in and deposited him on the couch. Ianto went back out to get Jack's coat, ending up with goo dripping onto his suit and getting on his hands. Making up a story for the dry cleaners would be interesting.

When he came back, Jack still hadn't woken up. Ianto put a hamper down on the panic he felt building inside him. Yes, Jack usually came back sooner but he'd been out for longer periods of time. It wouldn't help panicking anyway. He looked around for something to keep his hands busy but that was still nearby. Even though Jack never said anything, Ianto knew he appreciated having someone next to him when he returned to the land of the living. It was disorienting and sometimes frightening in those first few moments, Jack had once confessed.

Finding nothing, Ianto simply pulled a chair up and sat down to wait. He looked down at his hands with a grimace. They were almost covered in the green slime. Well, since his suit was already dirty… Ianto closed his eyes, unable to look as he wiped his hands against the legs of his slacks. As soon as Jack woke up, he would go and change. Not for the first time, Ianto was glad he kept a few extra suits in the Hub… for various reasons.

"Here."

Ianto opened his eyes and looked up to see Toshiko handing him a box of tissues, grinning.

"You could have just washed your hands," she said in a teasing tone, knowing why Ianto didn't want to leave the room.

"Thank you," Ianto replied, taking the box and cleaning his hands more thoroughly.

"So any plans later?" she asked curiously.

Ianto shook his head. "I planned to go home, watch _It's A Wonderful Life_ , call my family, have a bit to drink, and go to bed."

"No plans with Jack?"

"What makes you think that?" Ianto asked as if they were having a normal conversation that didn't have anything to do about Ianto's love life.

"Well, Gwen is with Rhys and Owen and I haven't got anyone so we'll probably just go home and feel sorry for ourselves," Toshiko said, giving a slightly awkward smile even though she tried to hide it.

"I'd be happy to have you over, Toshiko," Ianto invited.

"Oh, no, no, that's alright. Maybe Jack would like to."

Ianto let out a soft laugh. "Alright, Jack's invited too. I'll see if Owen wants to come as well."

"Actually, I was going to ask Owen if he had plans."

"Tosh."

"Ianto?"

"I think he'd like that, after what happened last year." Ianto gave her an encouraging smile. "And you don't need to worry about me. I don't think Jack really celebrates Christmas anyways."

"I just don't want you to spend it alone," Toshiko replied with a small frown.

"You are more than welcome to come by my home later," he offered once again.

Toshiko didn't get a chance to reply because Jack chose that moment to wake up with a gasp and a slight flail of limbs. The sudden movement made Tosh jump, startled.

"Jack!" Ianto reached out and grabbed onto his shoulder to steady him. "It's alright."

Jack looked at Ianto and for a moment, the young man could see the hundreds of years the captain had lived in his eyes before he relaxed, the panic and fear fading away as his gaze latched onto Ianto's stable figure.

"Are you alright?" Ianto asked.

"I'm fine." He pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Owen, I thought you said the wounds weren't fatal!"

"They didn't look like it!" Owen yelled back from the medical bay.

Jack got to his feet, shaking his head with a little grin. "Well, at least we got it. The day isn't over yet. It's Christmas. Take the rest of the day off, all of you. I'll call if I need you back here."

"Thank you, Jack," Toshiko said gratefully. "You know what would be a wonderful present?" she asked, turning to Ianto.

Ianto gave her a pointed look that said 'I Know Exactly What You Are Up To' but indulged her anyway. "I'll make you some coffee before you leave. Jack, I'll take your coat to the dry cleaners as soon as they open."

"Thanks, Ianto. You take such good care of my coat," Jack said with a grin. "It's amazing it's still around after all this time." He held Ianto's gaze for a moment longer, and Ianto realized there was a deeper meaning to those words.

"You're welcome, sir," he said simply, going to make the coffee. Some caffeine sounded good to him. He was feeling increasingly tired.

Toshiko started to speak to Jack quietly, no doubt in an attempt to get Jack over at his place tonight. Ianto would have ended up staying at the Hub anyway, unless Jack ordered him home.

He made his way to the coffee machine, pulling out three cleaned cups and preparing them with practiced ease. True, it would be nice to have Jack over and not spend Christmas in the Hub, but someone had to keep an eye on things. Might as well as keep Jack company since he had no one waiting for him at home. Deeper down, Ianto was also slightly worried about how Jack would be on his own after last Christmas. He felt the same way about Owen. He hoped the doctor wouldn't send Toshiko away.

Picking up the tray, Ianto started to carry the coffee over.

Jack and Toshiko were still talking, Jack looking amused and Toshiko looking a tad embarrassed. As Ianto approached, Jack looked up and smiled at him.

Ianto felt himself go weak in the knees, his face growing hot. Oh god, what was he, a fourteen year old girl, swooning just because Jack smiled at him?

There was a crashing sound and it took Ianto's brain a moment to register that he'd just dropped the tray and coffees. He looked down at his hands, wondering if he had spilt the hot coffee on them because they were an angry red. Huh. They didn't feel wet…

Then something clicked. Owen had said that Jack's wounds weren't fatal yet Jack had died anyways. Ianto had gotten the same green slime that had been all over Jack on his hands.

The world violently tilted and Ianto was only barely aware of the fact that he was falling before someone caught him. He could hear voices but he couldn't make out what they were saying. A hand was pressed against his forehead and Ianto forced his eyes open to look up. Jack was above him, looking worried. Toshiko was standing over them and leaned closer, reaching out with a hand.

Ianto recoiled away, managing to get out a word. "Slime..."

Jack must have said something to Toshiko because she moved back a moment afterwards. Ianto felt Jack hoist him up into his arms and that was the last thing he remembered.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ianto woke up to a dark room, lit with a single lamp. It took him only a moment to recognize the familiar feel of his own bed. He cleared his throat, feeling that it was dry. He felt odd, like he'd slept for too long.

"Ianto?" Jack asked, leaning forwards. Ianto saw he was sitting in a chair next to the bed, an open book lying on his lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty," he admitted.

"I'll get you some water. Stay lying down. That's an order." His tone was gentle but firm.

Ianto frowned as Jack got up and left the room. Since when did Jack order him around in his own home? Something wasn't right.

By the time Jack returned, Ianto had carefully sat himself up. Someone had changed him into a warm pair of pajamas. "I told you not to get up," Jack told him as he handed him the water.

"I'm fine," Ianto informed him, taking the water and drinking it gratefully. "Thank you."

"Are you really okay?" Jack asked insistently.

Ianto paused and looked at him. "Yes. I feel fine, just that I've slept for a while."

"You have been. You haven't woken up for two days."

Ianto looked at him incredulously. "Two days?"

"Turns out that that slime from the Christmas slug was more than just slime. That's why it killed me. It takes awhile to start to affect you." Jack was still for a moment, looking down at the blanket on the bed. "You were pretty bad for a while, and just from getting it on your hands."

"Is Toshiko alright?"

"She's fine, she's fine. She didn't get any on her." Jack reassured. "We all spent Christmas together trying to make sure you were going to be okay."

Ianto studied Jack carefully. He looked… relieved and tired. Ianto reached out a hand and covered Jack's, squeezing it. "Thank you. I'm alright, though, really. I'm sorry for making you worry."

"You missed Christmas," Jack said, changing the subject.

"I'll live."

"Toshiko was trying to convince me to come here."

"I had a feeling. I would have stayed at the Hub anyway."

"Probably would have been a good thing. If you'd gone home any earlier…"

Ianto frowned, taking note of how… almost upset Jack seemed. "Was I really that bad?" he asked softly.

"Your heart stopped."

Ianto's eyes widened slightly with the realization that if he had indeed gone home, he would probably not be alive at the moment. "I…" he started to say but Jack cut him off.

"Your heart _stopped_. Owen was panicking and trying to give you CPR and it wasn't working because he's - and I pushed him aside and thought what if it was too late, what if too much time had passed, and I tried and…" Jack took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Hearing and seeing your heart beat on the monitor was… It was…"

"Happy Christmas," Ianto simply said when Jack couldn't find more words.

Jack froze, then a slow smile came over his face and Ianto could see him visibly relax. "Yeah. That's it. That's it exactly."

"Are _you_ alright?" Ianto pressed.

"I should be asking you that."

"You already did. Jack…"

Jack sighed. "There was nothing we could do. Owen couldn't find an antidote. We were really lucky. After a while, it just started… going away. Owen said it was some sort of alien flu, except it ran its course a lot faster… and a lot deadlier than the human version. Owen made sure you would be alright without support earlier today before I took you back here. Figured you'd be more comfortable sleeping in your own bed. Gwen's in charge while I'm gone."

"We should probably be heading back then." Ianto made to get out of the bed but Jack put a hand on his shoulders and held him down.

"Whoa, now wait a minute. Owen gave me strict orders not to let you leave this home until tomorrow morning at the latest. You're not going anywhere."

"Jack, I feel _fine_ ," Ianto told him in an exasperated tone. "I've been in bed for two days straight. I want to do something."

"Alright. Come sit on the couch and watch _It's A Wonderful Life_ then. Gwen brought in some leftover Christmas food and we saved some for you. I've got some wine too although I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not…" Jack trailed off, setting his book aside and standing up.

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"I appreciate the… the thought behind it all but… why? I wasn't even sure if you celebrated Christmas," Ianto asked, slightly wondering if Jack was doing this just to indulge him since he'd missed it. "It's just a day. Besides, it's already over."

"A day to celebrate with your loved ones. That's what Toshiko said. That's what I want to do." He gazed at Ianto steadily, knowing he would understand the message behind those words. "I've got a present that I don't want to waste."

"In that case, I think I want to stay in bed a bit longer. Maybe I have your present hidden under the covers somewhere," Ianto said lightly, moving over a bit to make more room.

Jack actually looked hesitant. "Ianto, are you-"

"Jack." Ianto's tone was as flat as he could possibly make it. "Does your present have the words 'fragile' on it anywhere at all?"

The captain paused for a moment, then a grin slowly took over his face, the worry falling away. He eagerly slipped underneath the covers. "Merry Christmas, Ianto Jones."

Ianto responded by pulling Jack close and kissing him hard, to let him know he was alive and here, but mostly to say without words that he loved him too.


End file.
